KHL 3x3 Round 12: Traktor wins at the midway stage
This week’s action comes exactly halfway through the regular season as we played round 12 of 24. And, for the first time, Traktor came out on top. That lifts the Chelyabinsk team to third in the overall standings, and shattered a Supergame hoodoo: previously, Traktor had lost all three of its million-ruble showdowns.
Hero of the Round
Grigory Nesvetayev (Traktor)
For half a season, Traktor’s other players were at the center of attention: in the early rounds we saw the outrageous Denis Mosharov, then the famed Sergei Shumakov. Artyom Penkovsky had his chance to shine, while Artyom Borodkin rarely seemed to leave the ice. Throughout all that, Grigory Nesvetayev was always quietly productive but never emerged from the shadows. Until now. This time, Traktor topped the table and Nesvetayev was the best player of the round. He scored 10 (7+3) points and ha an important assist in the Supergame. That puts him sixth in the overall scoring race with 49 (26+23) points.
Traktor waited a long time for this success. And it wasn’t just about winning the Supergame after three losses. It’s more to do with a time finally achieving a balanced game. Traktor looked good on both sides of the puck: powerful attacking hockey reinforced by soild, organized defense. In the overall standings for the season, Traktor moved up to third place ahead of Salavat Yulaev. Only Ak Bars and Metallurg are ahead and, in this round, Traktor had three wins against those two.
Story of the Round
A rare shut-out added gloss to Traktor’s victory. Matvei Zubov joined the elite band of goalies who managed to keep his net intact – and moreover, he did it against mighty Ak Bars. And Matvei turned out to be an unassuming hero: he played down his own achievement, thanking his team-mates for their efforts and insisting that a shut-out was nothing more than a means to an end. It’s worth noting that Zubov played well throughout this round. In particular, he delivered a game-winning performance in the Supergame, both in regulation and in the shoot-out.
Game of the round
Ak Bars 6 Sibir 5
Traktor’s opponent in the Supergame was not decided until the final day. In the end, it was a simple equation: Sibir could overtake Ak Bars if it won by three clear goals. The start went badly for the Siberians, down 0-2 in barely a minute. But Sibir did more than regroup, it hit back powerfully to lead 3-2 at the end of the first. After that, it was a case of Ak Bars drawing level every time the opposition went in front.
In the third, Sibir led 5-4 but could not ease off as it needed to build the required goal differential. Ak Bars, for its part, responded well to the situation, punishing the opposition’s errors, tying the game with a penalty shot and then snatching the win. Alexei Krivchenkov’s hat-trick was some consolation for Sibir. It moves him to fourth in the scoring race after half the season.
Debut of the Round
For the third week in a row, we saw one of the players trying out as a commentator. This time, Vladislav Gorbachyov joined Nikita Shchitov and Evgeny Chesalin. The Dinamo goalie got some tips from his understudy in the Minsk net, Evgeny Vladimirovich (who is also the club’s press attaché) and did a great job. Gorbachyov covered the Sibir vs Traktor game and kept a close eye on his Siberian colleague Vladimir Tabatchikov as he went for a shut-out. As a goalie, Gorbachyov was getting jealous. Despite leading the league in minutes played, he had yet to record a shut-out. In the end, Tabachikov didn’t either, much to Gorbachyov’s satisfaction. And we could hear all about this goaltending rivalry live as it unfolded.
Photo of the Round
There are no hits in 3x3, so it’s rare to see players get angry with each other. But when Traktor played Dinamo Minsk, they did get in each other’s faces. At the heart of it all, as this pic shows, were Alexander Pavlovich and Danila Bogush.
